An investigation into Eni’s projects in Kenya and the Republic of the Congo by Transport & Environment (T&E) and The Continent shows that the promise of producing thousands of tonnes of biofuel crops id falling short and casts doubt on the concept of scaling up biofuels as an alternative to oil and gas.

Eni is promoting biofuels and recently signed a deal with Ryanair to supply sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The Italian government keen to develop the technology to help economic development in Africa. At a recent Italy-Africa summit, prime minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of Italy being a natural energy hub between the EU and Africa.

Eni, for its part, has promised to create an entirely new supply chain of sustainable oils from agricultural crops and has set up partnerships with six African countries in order to develop ‘agri-hubs’ that will supply vegetable oil for its refineries.

On-the-ground interviews with farmers and other key stakeholders in the two countries where the projects are most advanced - Kenya and the Republic of the Congo - show the company is significantly underproducing. Data analysis in Kenya shows that Eni has failed to reach even a quarter of its 2023 production targets, while, in the Republic of the Congo, Eni’s projects have been languishing at the pilot stage for more than 18 months.

Agathe Bounfour, oil programme lead at T&E, said: “This is the first time an oil company has got into the business of farming crops for fuel and represents a major attempt to scale up biofuels production. The evidence from Kenya and the Republic of the Congo suggests that this miracle new energy source being pushed by Eni will not bring development to Africa, nor is it a solution for Europe’s energy needs.”

In response to T&E’s questions, Eni denied that it had under-delivered on one of its flagship green projects and emphasised expected “improvements on agricultural yields” with the introduction of new plant varieties.

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